Container



May 30, 1944. BRALQFF 2,350,214

CONTAINER Filed Dec. 29. 1942 Fig.3

INVENTOR. a BY g A ATTORNE- Patented May 30, 1944 UNITED STATES ATE-NTOFFICE CONTAINER Henry E. BraIOft, Rockville Centre, N. Y. ApplicationDecember 29, 1942, Serial No. 470,519 1 Claims, ((1229-14) Thisinvention relates generally to containers and is more particularlydirected to the manufacture of containers of fibrou material, of thetype disclosed in my co-pendingapplication, Serial No. 456,448, filedAugust 26, 1942, of which this application is a continuation in part.

As is well known, prior to the invention of my aforesaid application,the use of fibrous containers was largely limited to the distribution ofthose products that are not subject to more or less rapid deteriorationif exposed to fluid penetration, because of the fact that it was notpossible to manufacture a fiber container that would not only aifordadequate protection to the contents, but would be of the requisiterugged and relatively light weight construction demanded by commercialrequirements. Obviously, in the marketing of products in so-called bulkquantitles, the gross weight of the package and its capacity towithstand rough handling in shipment and storage are important factors.

She primary object of this invention, therefore, is to further improvethe capacity of a container of the type described in my co-pendingapplication to resist fluid'penetration and at the same time render itsmanufacture more economical, while retaining the advantages which areinherent to its rugged and light weight construction, so as to increasethe field of utility of my invention. I

More specifically, it is an important object of this invention toprovide a relatively light and rugged fibrous container which willefliciently respond to commercial and other requirements for a containerthat is leak-proof and impervious to fluid penetration, so as to affordcomplete protection to the container contents; my improved constructionpossessing characteristics which facilitate storage and handling andmaterially increase the advantages of containers of the general type.

Another important objector this invention is to provide a container offibrous material, as aforesaid, which, in addition to features ofconstruction that afford a seal of positive'hermetic characteristics,also provides for the virtual insulation of the contents within thecontainer, thereby safeguarding them against possible detrimentaleiiects which might follow from the exposure of the container to suddenfluctuation in temperature, in transportation or otherwise.

It is also an important object of my invention to provide an all-fibercontainer comprising an outer casing rendered impervious to moisturepenetration and an inner lining resistant to fluid penetration, withend-forming'members so assembled in the completion of the container thatthe entire structure is reinforced against bending forces, theend-forming elements being interlocked with the outer casing and withthe inner lining in a fluid-proof jointure which is highly resistant toseparation under constant and shifting loads.

My invention further contemplates an all-fiber container possessing thecharacteristics and advantages hereinbefore set forth. which may beconveniently hermetically sealed by the packer of the contained product,for the subsequent removal of the contents in bulk, or smaller quantitieas may be desired. For this purpose, I have provided a removable andreplaceable head-endforming assembly, which, in the original packagingof the contents, overlies an inner closure having an area which isrupturable to afford access to the contents when the head assembly hasbeen removed from the container.

Other objects and advantages flowing from the practicing of my inventionwill become evident as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing, 1 have shown a preferred form of containerembodying my present improvements which may be readily and economicallyproduced to attain the objectives .to which my invention is directed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional View of a fibrous containerconforming to my invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the head-endassembly of the structure of Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a View in elevation, partly in section, of the structureshown in Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, in which like characters ofreference are employed to designate similar parts in the several views,1 indicates the shell or body of the container which is tubular in shapeand produced from pressed chipboard or other su'table material in theappropriate length. Preferably, in the production of the shell, thechipboard is spirally wound, the convolutions forming each of theconstituent laminations mating in butt joints and being bonded by asuitable adhesive agent to the convolutions upon which they aresuperimposed, to build up a wall section of the requisite thickness.

Suitable external end-forming members 8 and 9, each of the so-calledpressure diaphragm type, are frictionally insertable within therespective ends of the shell I in the completion of the outer casing, aswill be described. Since both of these thickness than the disc H ofmajor diameter and is preferably built up of a series of laminations ofimpregnated paper or fiber-board, although the two discs, in someinstances, may be of the same thickness and of similar or differentcomposition, depending upon the specific use to which the container isto be applied. When the two discs are concentrically united, asexplained, the disc II, which is of the diameter of the interior of theshell 1, is adapted to be entered in the shell under axially appliedpressure, in a socalled force-fitting operation, with the disc H) ofminor diameter in outermost position, the stepped marginal portion l2 ofthe end-forming member forming a seat for a cooperating retaining ring,as will be described.

In the production of the container, the endforming member 9, whichcorresponds enerally to the end-forming member 8, as just described, maybe entered in one end of the shell 1, in a force-fitting operation, tofunction as the bottom of the outer casing, a retaining ring I 3 of therequisite diameter being pressed into the en of the shell and onto theseat provided by the marginal portion l2 of said member, the wallsection of the ring being such as to provide for a tight .fit of thering in engagement with the opposed surfaces of the shell and disc ID,the ring when seated being interlocked with the surrounding shell wallby staples, as indicated at N. If desired, or found necessary, anadhesive agent may be applied to the abutting surfaces of the shell anddisc I I and to the surfaces of the rin which contact with the shellwall and the peripheral edge of the disc l and the marginal seat I2, itbeing apparent that the height of the retaining ring l3 provides for itsprojection beyond the adjacent end of the shell to form the base of thecontainer when the assembly is completed, as just described, and takethe vertical load as directly transmitted from the filled receptacle tosuch base-forming end assembly. 7

Following the application of the base assembly to the shell 1, a disc ofthe diameter of the interior of the shell, composed of corrugatedfibrous material, preferably asphalt impregnated, is disposed upon theinner surface of the endforming member 9 and a liner ll of similarmaterial is then introduced into the shell in a pressure fit, with itslower edge abutting upon the aforesaid corrugated disc It. This innerliner I! may be variously produced to conform to the inner wall of theshell 7. For instance, a sheet of material of the appropriate length mayhave its opposed edges mated and cemented in a butt jointure to presenta continuous surface when installed within the shell, with its upperedge spaced inwardly of the head end of the shell T, to provide for theassembly of the head-forming closure within the shell, as will beexplained.

An annulus 18 of heavy fiber having an outer circumference correspondinto the inner circumference of the shell 1, is next pressed into the openend of the shell in abutting engagement with the upper edge of the linerI! to function as a ledge or shoulder to locate and positively supportthe closure-forming elements of the head assembly, it being understood,that, if desired, the opposed surfaces of the annulus and shell may beadhesively united. When the annulus has been installed, a suitablecompound which will quickly set and form a non-soluble material proofedfor oleoresinous and aqueous products is introduced to the interior ofthe head-end of the container in the zone in which the ledge or annulusl8 is joined to the liner I! and the container immediately inverted tocause the introduced compound to flow or expand upon the adjacent innersurfaces of the ledge and shell and form an overlying fillet indicatedat 18a, as it sets or hardens,

which hermetically seals the jointure 0f the ledge with the liner IT.The liner 1! and the corrugated inner disc I 6 are then coated ortreated with a suitable material, preferably the compound abovespecified or any other material which is flexible when set and serves torender them impervious to fluid penetration, the material building up atthe jointure of the liner with the disc l6 defining fillet "5a toprovide an hermetic seal therebetween, it being manifest that by thistreatment, the disc l5 and the ledge l8 virtually become integral withthe liner IT.

The head-forming assembly includes an annular disc l9 of a diametercorresponding to the internal diameter of the shell I! in which it isadapted to be entered under pressure to abut upon the opposed surface ofledge-forming annulus IS, the latter defining the seat for theheadforming assembly. This disc I9, which functions as the inner headseal, may be composed of laminations of paper or light fiber boardtreated to possess non-permeable characteristics, or the inner surfacemay be coated similarly to the liner ll. Preferably, the said disc isscored or weakened, along a line circumscribed inwardly of its outeredge, as indicated at ISa. to facilitate the rupturing or breaking ofthe seal provided by such disc in the separation and removal of theportion thereof within the area of the scoring I911, for obtainingaccess to the contents of the container.

To complete the head-forming assembly, the end-forming member 8,previously described, is pressed into the end of the shell with its discll foremost, to bear upon the opposed surface of the closure or sealingdisc l9 and a retaining ring 2|] which may be of wood, pressed chipboardor other suitable material, having an external diameter corresponding tothe internal diameter of the end of the shell, is then forced intoseated position in abutting engagement with the several opposed surfacesof the end-forming member 8 and the wall of the shell, similarly to thering I3, as explained. As will be observed, the height of the retainingring 20 of the head-forming assembly is such that when it is entered infunctioning position within the shell, its upper surface will bedisposed below the adjacent end of the shell, as indicated at Ma, andcooperate therewith in providing a flange-like formation for thereception of the base ring I3 of another container superimposed thereonin nesting a. series of containers for storage or shipment.

For opening the container, the end-forming member 8 may be displaced inan upward movement, to likewise displace the retaining ring 20 from itsfunctioning position, by means of the pull-tab 2| which is firmly unitedto said member between the superimposed discs Ill and II, as clearlyshown in Figure 1, the freeend of the tab normallybeing disposed uponthe upper surface of the disc ll! of the head assembly. When the ring 20and head-forming member 8 have been removed, the inner section of thesealing disc l9 ma be readily cut away, in the manner heretoforedescribed, so that the contents ma be poured or ladled from thecontainer. Where only a portion of the contents is to be extracted, itwill be evident that the container may be resealed to afford an adequatedegree of protection to the contained material, by replacing theend-forming member 8 in closure-forming position and pressing it intoabutting engagement with the opposed surface of the remaining section ofthe sealing disc l9 by seating the retaining ring 20, the frictionalengagement of the opposed surfaces of the end-forming member with thering and shell and of the ring with the shell providing an effectiveseal.

Byproviding an inner liner of corrugated ma terial and forming thesealing disc I 9 of the same material, similarly to the disc l6 of thebase assembly, it will be manifest that I may provide a container inwhich the contents are contained in a chamber insulated from the outerrigid protective casing of the structure and are thereby protectedagainst possible detrimental effects of fluctuating temperatures in theshipment and storage of various materials.

For certain uses. the outer shell or casing may be treated to render itwater-resistant and the liner I! may include or be faced with a non.-porous or other material. in addition to or in lieu. of the previouslydescribed coating to further enhance the protective characteristicsthereof or to meet specific requirements in packaging dry and liquidproducts.

While I have described my invention more or less specifically inconnection with the embodiment shown, it will be understood that changesin structural details may be effected to meet manufacturing or otherrequirements: also that the sequence of the steps of assembly be variedfor convenience in performing production and packaging operations.within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

l I claim:

1. A container comprising a rigid outer casing. including a tubularshell, 2. base-forming member frictionally entered in one end thereof,an inner liner of corrugated material in frictional conformingengagement with the inner wall of said shell having its ends disposed ininwardly spaced relation to the adjacent ends of said shell. an annularledge abutting upon the end of said liner remote from said base-formingmember in frictional engagement therewith. means coacting with portionsof said liner and said ledge to rein.- force the frictional jointure ofsaid liner and said ledge and hermetically seal such jointure, a closureinsertable within said shell in frictional engagement therewith andabutting upon said ledge, and a head-forming member disposable upon saidclosure in frictional engagement with said shell, said head-formingmember functioning to maintain said closure in positive engagement withsaid ledge and cooperating therewith in forming an hermetically sealedhead for said container.

2. A container comprising a rigid outer casing, including a tubularshell, a base-forming member frictionally entered in one end of saidshell, an inner liner of corrugated material in frictional conformingengagement with the inner wall-of said shell, the ends of said'linerbeing disposed inwardly of the adjacent ends of said shell, an innerbase element superimposed upon said base-forming member and united tosaid liner in an hermetic jointure therewith, an annular ledge infrictional engagement with the inner wall of said shell adjacent theopposite end thereof and abutting upon the juxtaposed end of said linerinfrictional jointure therewith, means coacting with portions of saidliner and said ledge to reinforce the frictional jointure of said linerand said ledge inwardly of said ledge and hermetically seal suchjointure, a closure insertable within said shellin frictional engagementtherewith and abutting upon said ledge throughout the area of theopposed surfaces of said closure and said ledge and a head-formingmember insertable in said shell in frictional engagement .with the innerwall thereof in superimposed relation to said closure to maintain saidclosure inpositive engagement with saidledge and cooperate therewith inthe formation of an hermetic seal for said container.

3. A container comprising a rigid outer casing, including a tubularshell, a base forming member frictionally entered in one end of saidshell, an inner liner of corrugated material in frictional conformingengagement with the inner wall of said shell, the ends of said linerbeing disposed inwardly of the adjacent ends of said shell, an innerbase element superimposed upon said base-forms ing member and united tosaid liner in an hermetic jointure therewith, an annular. ledge infrictional engagement with the inner wall of said shell adjacent theopposite end thereof andabutting upon the juxtaposed end of said linerin frictional jointure therewith, means coacting with portions of saidliner and said ledge to reinforce the frictional jointure of said linerand said ledge inwardly of said ledge and hermetically seal suchjointure, a closure insertable within said shell in frictionalengagement therewith and abutting upon said ledge throughout the area ofthe opposed surfaces of said closure and said ledge, a head-formingmember insertable within said shell in frictional engagement with theinner surface thereof and in abutting engagement with the opposedsurface of said closure throughout its area and means adapted to beentered in said shell in superimposed relation to said head-formingmember in frictional engagement with said shell and with said member tomaintain said closure in positive engagement with said ledge and form anhermetic seal for said container.

4. A container comprising a rigid outer casing, including a tubularshell, a base-forming member frictionally entered in one end of saidshell, an inner liner of corrugated material in frictional conformingengagement with the inner wall of said shell, the ends of said linerbeing disposed inwardly of the adjacent ends of said shell, an innerbase element superimposed upon said baseforming member and united tosaid liner in an hermetic jointure therewith, an annular ledge infrictional engagement with the inner wall of said shell adjacent theopposite end thereof and abutting upon the juxtaposed end of said linerin frictional jointure therewith, means coacting with portions of saidliner and said ledge to reinforce the frictional jointure of said linerand said ledge inwardly of said ledge and hermetically seal suchjointure, and a head-forming assembly cooperating with said ledge in theformation of an hermetic seal for said container, said head-forminassembly including a closure insertable within said shell in frictionalengagement therewith and abutting upon said ledge throughout the area ofthe opposed surfaces of said closure and said ledge, an outerhead-forming member insertable within said shell in frictionalengagement with the inner wall thereof and in abutting engagement withthe opposed surface of said closure throughout its area and meansadapted to be entered in said shell in superimposed relation to saidouter head-forming member in frictional engagement with said shell andwith said member to maintain said closure in positive engagement withsaid ledge, the lines of jointure of the components of said head-formingassembly relative to one another and relative to said shell and saidledge, contributing to the formation of an hermetic seal for the headend of said container.

' 5. A container comprising a rigid outer casing, including a tubularshell, a base-forming member frictionally entered in one end thereof, aninner liner of corrugated material in frictional conforming engagementwith the inner wall of said shell having its ends disposed in inwardlyspaced relation to the adjacent ends of said shell, an annular ledgeabutting upon the end of said liner remote from said base-forming memberin frictional engagement therewith, means coacting with portions of saidliner and said ledge to reinforce the frictional jointure of said linerand said ledge and hermetically seal such jointure, a

closure insertable within said shell in frictional engagement therewithand, abutting upon said ledge, and a head-forming member disposable uponsaid closure in frictional engagement with said shell, said head-formingmember functioning to'maintain said closure in positive engagement withsaid ledge and cooperating therewith in forming an hermetically sealedhead for said container, said closure embodying a weakened portion foreffecting the bodily separation of a part therefrom, to attain access tothe contents of the container, subsequent to the displacement of saidhead-forming member from functioning position relative to said closure.

6. A container comprising a rigid outer casing, including a tubularshell and end-forming members, each of said end-forming memberscomprising a pair of discs of different diameters concentrically unitedto form a member of pressure diaphragm characteristics, said membersbeing adapted to be entered in opposite ends of the shell with theirdiscs of major diameter in frictional engagement with the inner wallthereof and the discs of minor diameter disposed in the direction of theadjacent ends of the shell, an inner liner of corrugated material infrictional conforming engagement with the inner wall of said shellhaving its ends disposed in inwardly spaced relation to the adjacentends of the shell, an inner baseforming element hermetically 'joined tosaid liner, one of said end-forming members being entered in said shellin juxtaposition to said inner baseforming element to form the bottom ofsaid container, a ledge disposed internally of said shell adjacent theopposite end thereof in frictional engagement with said shell and withthe juxtaposed edge of said liner, means coacting with said liner andwith said ledge inwardly of said ledge to reinforce and hermeticallyseal the-jointure of said ledge with said liner, an inner closurelocatable upon said ledge in frictional engagement with the surroundingwall of said shell, the other of said end-forming members being insertable in said shell with its disc of major diameter in superimposedfrictional engagement with the outer surface of said closure and inperipheral frictional engagement with said shell to maintain saidclosure in positive engagement with said ledge, and means frictionallyinsertable in each end of said shell formed to coact with the opposedsurfaces of the respective end-forming members and with said shellto'interlock said end-forming members in frictional engagement with saidshell and seal the ends of the container against fluid penetration.

7. Acontainer comprising a rigid outer casing, including a tubularshell, a base-forming member frictionall entered in one end thereof, aninner liner of corrugated material in frictional con forming engagementwith the inner wall of said shell having its ends disposed in inwardlyspaced relation to the adjacent ends of said shell, an annular ledgeabutting upon the end of said liner remote from said base-forming memberin frictional engagement therewith, means coacting with portions of saidliner and said ledge to reinforce the frictional jointure of said linerand said ledge and hermetically seal such jointure, a closure insertablewithin said shell in frictional engagement therewith and abutting uponsaid ledge, and a head-forming member disposable upon said closure infrictional engagement with said shell, said head-forming memberfunctioning to maintain said closure in positive engagement with saidledge and cooperating therewith in forming an hermetically sealed headfor said container, said outer casing and said liner and cooperatingclosure being rendered impervious to fluid penetration to protect thecontents of the container as confined within the area of said liner andthe closure abutting upon said ledge hermetically sealed to said liner.

HENRY E. BRALOFF.

